Patents by Inventor Junichiro MITSUNO

Junichiro MITSUNO has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220283115
    Abstract: A sensor system (1, 1S) including a current DA converter (42) outputting a control current (Ip) of a sensor element (3S), a control unit (4C) generating a control current instruction value (Ipcmd) corresponding to magnitude of the control current and inputting this instruction value to the current DAC, an instruction value sequence generating unit (47) generating, instead of the control current instruction value, an inspection instruction value sequence (RChcmd) in which predetermined inspection current instruction values (Chcmd) inputted to the current DAC are arranged in order and by which failure of the current DAC can be detected, an inspection current detection unit (71) detecting an inspection current value (Ichv) of an inspection current (Ich) outputted from the current DAC, and a failure detection unit (8) detecting failure of the current DAC from an inspection current value sequence (RIchv) in which the inspection current values are arranged in order of detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuzo HIGUCHI, Yuji OI, Satoru TODA, Satoru ABE, Junichiro MITSUNO, Hidetoshi MAKINO
  • Publication number: 20210396702
    Abstract: A gas sensor control device having a DA conversion circuit configured to supply a pump current having a magnitude corresponding to an inputted digital signal to the pump cell, a reference electric potential generating circuit configured to keep an electric potential of the first pump electrode at a reference electric potential, a diagnostic resistance connected to the pump cell parallel to the pump cell, and an output part configured to output a signal relating to voltage applied to the diagnostic resistance when inputting an arbitrary digital signal to the DA conversion circuit in a situation in which oxygen ion conductivity does not occur in the pump cell to an external device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuzo HIGUCHI, Koji ISHIBASHI, Junichiro MITSUNO, Satoru ABE, Yuji Ol
  • Patent number: 10830729
    Abstract: In a sensor control device which controls a sensor, a first filter unit extracts a first filtered signal obtained by attenuating a frequency component higher than a first cutoff frequency from a digital signal indicating a current-application control value for a pump current, and a second filter unit extracts a second filtered signal obtained by attenuating a frequency component higher than a second cutoff frequency from the first filtered signal. A cutoff frequency setting unit sets at least one of the first cutoff frequency and the second cutoff frequency such that the sensor control device can control at least two types of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro Mitsuno, Satoru Abe, Chihiro Tomimatsu, Hidetoshi Makino
  • Patent number: 10669963
    Abstract: An anomaly determination apparatus determines an anomaly of a current control apparatus which supplies a control current to a control target and includes a current anomaly determination section. The current anomaly determination section is configured to compare a normal numerical range within which a state quantity changing with the control current falls in a particular state with a particular state quantity which is the state quantity corresponding to the control current generated by the control current generation section in the particular state, and determine that at least one of the reference resistor, the reference current generation section, and the control current generation section is in an anomalous state in the case where the particular state quantity has deviated from the normal numerical range. By using the current anomaly determination section, the anomaly determination apparatus can determine an anomaly of the current control apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro Mitsuno, Satoru Abe, Chihiro Tomimatsu, Hidetoshi Makino
  • Publication number: 20180335400
    Abstract: In a sensor control device which controls a sensor, a first filter unit extracts a first filtered signal obtained by attenuating a frequency component higher than a first cutoff frequency from a digital signal indicating a current-application control value for a pump current, and a second filter unit extracts a second filtered signal obtained by attenuating a frequency component higher than a second cutoff frequency from the first filtered signal. A cutoff frequency setting unit sets at least one of the first cutoff frequency and the second cutoff frequency such that the sensor control device can control at least two types of sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro MITSUNO, Satoru ABE, Chihiro TOMIMATSU, Hidetoshi MAKINO
  • Publication number: 20180306136
    Abstract: An anomaly determination apparatus determines an anomaly of a current control apparatus which supplies a control current to a control target and includes a current anomaly determination section. The current anomaly determination section is configured to compare a normal numerical range within which a state quantity changing with the control current falls in a particular state with a particular state quantity which is the state quantity corresponding to the control current generated by the control current generation section in the particular state, and determine that at least one of the reference resistor, the reference current generation section, and the control current generation section is in an anomalous state in the case where the particular state quantity has deviated from the normal numerical range. By using the current anomaly determination section, the anomaly determination apparatus can determine an anomaly of the current control apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro MITSUNO, Satoru ABE, Chihiro TOMIMATSU, Hidetoshi MAKINO
  • Patent number: 9322816
    Abstract: A gas sensor control apparatus (1) for controlling a gas sensor (2) includes a change amount detection means (40); an element resistance detection means for detecting the element resistance Rpvs of a sensor element section (3) on the basis of the response change amount ?Vs; a heater energization control section for on-off controlling the supply of electric current to a heater section (4) by pluses PS having a fixed period T; and an instruction signal output section for instructing the change amount detection section (40) to detect the response change amount ?Vs at a third timing t3 which comes after elapse of a predetermined wait time TW from a second timing t2 (heater energization off) which changes in accordance with the pulse width PSW.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro Mitsuno, Tomonori Uemura
  • Patent number: 8884659
    Abstract: A load driving device includes a pulse driving circuit which has a capacitor between an output terminal and a ground potential, a level detection circuit which detects whether an output terminal voltage on the output terminal of the pulse driving circuit is at high level or at low level, a switching discharge unit for forming a discharge path through which electric charges charged in a capacitor are discharged by switching of a switch from a non-discharge side to a discharge side, and switching the switch to the discharge side over a discharge maintenance time in a state where the application of a pulse voltage by the pulse driving circuit stops and the output terminal voltage is maintained at high level, a post-discharge detection unit, and a determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Junichiro Mitsuno
  • Publication number: 20140055169
    Abstract: A load driving device includes a pulse driving circuit which has a capacitor between an output terminal and a ground potential, a level detection circuit which detects whether an output terminal voltage on the output terminal of the pulse driving circuit is at high level or at low level, a switching discharge unit for forming a discharge path through which electric charges charged in a capacitor are discharged by switching of a switch from a non-discharge side to a discharge side, and switching the switch to the discharge side over a discharge maintenance time in a state where the application of a pulse voltage by the pulse driving circuit stops and the output terminal voltage is maintained at high level, a post-discharge detection unit, and a determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Junichiro MITSUNO